Light Always Defeats the Dark
by Love is for Fools
Summary: In the dark is where his fears haunt him...or more accurately he fears the dark. Percy faces one of his fears, but he comes out not unscath. Though his fears do open the way for enlightment for someone else.


**Love is for fools: I've debated with myself for a long time about posting this since I knew I would probably get horrible responses, but here it is. If your immature enough to write stupid flames don't even read this.**

**Warning: Please don't comment that this is O.O.C., that Fred and George would never do this, because the fact remains people do stupid things and they've done a lot of things that to others can be interpreted as being less than ideal behavior for people that claim to be good guys. And, this may be O.O.C. for all characters involved, I admit. Go with it please.**

**I don't own Harry Potter.**

**:.xxxxxxxxx.:**

Percy did not like small spaces. Especially, small dark spaces that you couldn't leave. He tried the doorknob again thinking that maybe his initial panic had caused to turn the knob the wrong way. It didn't budge. A sob half between a gasp and a hiccup vibrated in the darkness.

He had been doing his rounds making sure all the students were in their dorms when he had felt a push from behind and heard the sound of a door being locked and laughter. From who though he couldn't tell.

He'd searched the pockets of his robes for his wand, but couldn't find it. Maybe because his hands were shaking or because whoever stuffed him in this closet had snatched it. But, he knew even if the prankster--well, that is what he thought the person was--hadn't had the foresight to take his wand he wouldn't be able to use it. His throat felt as though Hagrid's treacle fudge was being force fed to him and his hands would not stopped moving.

He was going to start screaming and banging on the door if he could not get out soon. It just wouldn't do for someone to find him in that condition though. He sank to the dirty floor putting his forehead against the door and his left hand was poised on the doorknob as he tried to forcefully compose himself. But, that proved to be a bad choice as it allowed the memories of how this fear started in the first place to come rushing back to him.

Even as nine year olds the twins were pranksters, but back then their jokes were less controlled and a lot of the time led to injuries. Some of them serious ones. Like when Ron's tongue had been burned through with an acid pop. At first he would admit that at times he found the jokes very funny, like the incident where they changed Ron's stuff bear into a spider. But, after his first year of Hogwarts that changed. They decided to play a "joke" on him when they got with him talking about how great it was at school. Probably, because _they_ wanted to go themselves, not hear some brownoser talk about. They wanted to use their future schooling to find new ways to play jokes.

So, when he was asleep one night the two manage to get his small lanky body into his school trunk that he had unpacked earlier that summer. You could imagine the fright one would get to wake up to find they were trapped somewhere with no light and no way out. He had pushed with all the might his skinny arms could muster, when there was no hope of get out himself he began to scream.

Most trunks have an automatic locking device and it is almost impossible for air to get in and out, though sound could. After minutes of screaming his throat had not only been hoarse, but he couldn't breath. Every time he would manage to catch his breath he would scream again. Many of these screams were blocked out by the sounds the Ghoul in the attic made and the creaks and groans of the house.

After a while he finally silenced himself as he could no longer make a sound and his hands were bruised and bleeding from pounding on the top of the trunk. Tears of frustration and fear ran down his face as his breath was ragged. Soon, without much air he passed out.

When he awoke he found himself on his bed, downstairs there was screaming. "--HE COULD HAVE DIED IN THERE!!!! WHAT WERE YOU TWO THINKING??? YOU WEREN'T THINKING WERE YOU!!!???"

Silence seemed to follow, but apparently there had been a reply. "YOU WANTED HIM TO STOP BRAGGING?!! SO, YOU STUFFED HIM IN A TRUNK AND NEARLY KILLED HIM???"

After that he heard stomping coming up the stairs, then the door opened wide. There stood his mother still red from her righteous fury, upon seeing him awake she rushed over. "Percy! What are you doing sitting up? You should be resting . . ."

She stopped though when a pained expression crossed his face and tears began to fall from his face. The possibility never occurred to him or been more clear to him . . . .

"Mom," he sobbed hoarsely, " Do they hate who I am? Is that why they tried to kill me?" A look of strain showed on her face, she didn't know what to say. The twins had done it on purpose, but not necessarily for that reason or intent. It was all she could do to not burst into to tears when not having an answer, Percy's slight sobs turned into full blown cries of hurt. She wondered what would happen to her previously close knit family.

He found later that little Ron had been sent up to tell him breakfast was ready since they thought he was studying. Being a curious little Weasly he wondered why his brother wasn't in his room and why the trunk by his bed sounded like it was breathing. When he opened the trunk he found his older brother passed out and screamed because it didn't seem like he was moving now. This had the whole family running up to Percy's room and at the guilty expressions on their faces his mother had knew the twins were responsible for what they found.

After that he stopped playing quidditch with his family, he stayed in his room most of the time not talking for the longest time. When he finally started to come out of his room again, around time for school to start he only spoke to his mother. He followed rules carefully, he didn't say a rude thing, not that he really did before. This incident was what started the rift in his family though he and his mother were close (though not that close, he separated himself even from her) the rest of the family knew nearly nothing about him.

The thing that hurt him the most though was the fact that the George and Fred had never apologized even after their mother threaten to beat them raw. They seemed to like him even less as though he was to blame for them playing the 'joke' on him and the dislike had started to reached Ron and Ginny as well since they spent more time with the twins.

It wasn't like he didn't know that his family seem to think he was snobbish, arrogant, and a kiss up. Perfect Percy, who always studied and cleaned his room. There was a reason that they thought that. Sometimes the darkness of his small room would begin to suffocate him and he could fill the panic whelm up inside of him. When he turned on his lamp the darkness would dissipate and so would his fear. He would fall asleep then and the others would just assume that he was up on a late night studying spree again. He cleaned his room only because the clutter added to his phobia.

When he thought of the trunk the fear that he had been fighting down rose up and he felt sick to his stomach. His breathing hitched all the sudden and he knew he couldn't fight it anymore. Forget appearances, he wanted out.

"HELP SOMEONE!! PLEASE, GET ME OUT!! SOMEONE, ANYONE?!! GET ME OUT OF HERE!!"

He pounded his fists against the door, then his whole body as he attempted to break down the door or get someone to hear the sounds. Two minutes later he was so hysterical that he was now pounding the door with his head as well. His glasses slipped off his face and he could hear the crunch of glass as he stepped on them. That sound broke him out of his panicked daze and he dropped to the floor, the glass pressing into his legs sharply. His labored for breath.

He fell forward in surprise as the door swung open. He crawled out too weak to stand, his tremors stopped being those of terror, but laughter. He laughed and through his tears of relief he saw no one. He couldn't understand it, if it had been one of the ghost or teachers why didn't they show themselves? He didn't much care since he was out.

He whispered his thanks to the silent hall, as he rocked his body back and forth to comfort himself.

He wasn't going to start sleeping without a light anytime soon.

**:.xxxxxxxx.:**

When he had been wandering the hallways he hadn't expect to find what he did. He was hoping to answers to the voice he kept hearing and how to stop people from staring. These days they were constantly staring as though expecting him to suddenly kill them. He felt for the first time in his life completely utterly weak. Weak against his fears and against the people around him, who kept asking so much of him but were unwilling to trust him at the same time.

After walking under the protection of the invisibility cloak for a while he heard a sound. Like . . . screaming? He followed it, afraid that it may have been someone being attacked. One voice said to not go, that whatever happening would be called his fault, but something else said it wouldn't and shoved the other voice out of his head. As he reached the hallway it was coming from it stopped. He was surprised, but he continued to the door he thought it was coming from.

He stood to the side and tried to open the door. He had been expecting something to jump out at him that's why he had attempted open it from the side. He vaguely wondered why the door was locked, did someone trap the killer inside? If so why was there screaming? Would a killer actually want to scream? Wouldn't that attract attention? Or . . . maybe that was the plan. To lure someone here and then kill them. But they wouldn't be able to get him because you can't really kill someone you can't see, can you?

With that in mind he cast the unlocking charm and opened the door successfully. He was startled when a person crawled out on their hands and knees. He thought about helping them but he couldn't make himself move. Something was familiar about this person.

Then the shaking person began laughing, like someone that had went through hell and back and was just glad to be back to earth. The person was also crying he realized when their face lifted up to searched for their savior.

It was Percy. His hair was wild, his glasses were gone and blood was running down his face and neck from a wound on his head. He could barely recognize him, but the Weasly hair gave him away and he knew none of the others were that tall so it could only be him. He watched as the teen murmured and rocked himself.

He was shocked, he had never seen _anyone _look so weak and vulnerable. Not even a child ever looked so weak to him. He had a feeling that he was seeing something he shouldn't, but he stood there watching.

Someone else-- like him-- that seemed without fear or faults to others was on the ground bawling like a baby. Every fear or uncertain question that was within left momentarily, just by opening a door he had been able to help someone. He did not feel weak, and someone appreciated his knack for breaking the rules, even if they didn't know it themselves.

One thing was for sure, he wasn't going to ever look at Percy as perfect again.

**:.xxxxxxxx.:**

**Love is for fools: I really hadn't meant all this angst, it just sort of happened. sheepish**

**And, as I'm sure you guys have guessed this takes place during second year. The inspiration for it came from a fanfiction I read about two years ago. It was about a Slytherin girl who was trying to play a joke on Percy, but got lock in a closet with him instead. The girl starts to regret trying to play a joke on him when it turns out Percy has claustrophobia. I made this because Percy seemed just the sort of guy that hates small spaces, yet at the same time forces himself to stay in them at the threat of something even more potentially harming.**

**I can't remember who wrote it, but if that person happens to read this...I must say good job. I just felt the need to focus solely on Percy's fears (even made up ones) and the reasons that may exist behind them.**


End file.
